In some instances during a surgical procedure it is necessary to suture tissue such as to join a wound in the tissue or join adjacent tissues. A number of surgical instruments are available for facilitating the suturing of tissue. In some instruments a pair of jaw structures are provided for passing a needle through the tissue and subsequently passing a suture through the needle to communicate the suture from one surface of tissue to another. In other configurations, a needle having a suture attached is passed from a first jaw to a second jaw through the tissue.
Sometimes different stitch patterns are required from one surgical procedure to another. For example, depending on the surgical procedure to be performed a single or mattress stitch may be desired. As a result, a surgeon may be required to utilize distinct instruments as dictated by the desired stitch pattern. While current surgical instruments have been shown to be adequate for the intended purpose, a need exists in the art to provide a simpler and more efficient instrument for performing a suturing procedure.